A gas leak caused by a blown electric cable has been repaired in Islington and upwards of 200 people have been able to return to their homes after being evacuated.

Firefighters set a 50-metre cordon Parkhurst Road in Holloway yesterday (November 4) from 12.57pm.

There were reports of a “strong smell of gas” and the road was shut for hours.

After investigating, Cadent engineers found that a blown electric cable had damaged a gas main, leading to a gas leak.

This situation led to the evacuation of several properties nearby as a safety measure.

Upwards of 200 people were evacuated from the area in total.

Cadent was able to proceed with repairs once UK Power Networks turned off the power and checked all affected properties to allow people back in.

Cadent thanked residents and shop owners for their patience during the incident.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Firefighters were working alongside the gas board and multi-agency partners to make the scene safe and assist members of the public who have been evacuated."

The full statement from Cadent reads: “We were called at 4.15pm yesterday afternoon (November 4) to reports of a smell of gas caused a damaged gas main at the junction of Parkhurst Road and Holloway Road.

"Once on site, we found that an electric cable had blown and had damaged our gas main, causing a gas leak.

"We worked with our emergency colleagues to evacuate upwards of 200 people for their own safety while repairs were carried out.

“As the damaged gas main was due to a fault on a nearby electricity cable, we had to wait for UK Power Networks to complete their repairs before we were able to complete our work to repair the leak."

"Our engineers completed repairs by 11:30 yesterday evening and started to reoccupy buildings after that.

"We would like to thank residents and business owners for their patience yesterday while we carried out these repairs to ensure their safety."